Chairman of the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (Cepep) Adesh Deonarine says contractor Amarnath Jaggasar of Starbott Enterprises Ltd was not singled out when he received a termination letter on Thursday. Deonarine said the issue was only highlighted because it was in Chaguanas West."They are trying to politicise it," he said.
He said contractors were being reviewed and monitored constantly and many of them had received letters for poor performance and negligence over statutory payments over a period of time.Deonarine said he had not seen the letter because it came from management.Cepep general manger is Carl Jagdeo.
On Friday, Jack Warner told a gathering at one of his political meetings that the Government had dismissed two Cepep contractors who were in support of his campaign-Starbott Enterprises Ltd and Magicstar Enterprises Ltd.Warner said managing director of Starbott Enterprises, Jaggasar was the interim chairman of the Independent Liberal Party. Jaggasar chaired Friday's meeting where Warner read the termination letter.
But in a telephone interview yesterday, Deonarine said it was a decision taken by management and operations and not by his board.Deonarine said, "They were monitoring his operations."We were getting calls and letters from workers claiming they were being victimised."Workers were being forced to go to meetings and take their families and were told they would get time off and the company knew nothing of that arrangement."
He said field officers usually do supervision on contractors and it was a coincidence that Jaggasar received a letter on Thursday."The same thing that is happening to them is happening in other areas as well."It's only because it is Chaguanas West and they report to Jack (Warner)...that's why it was highlighted."Deonarine said termination was "the last straw."
Jaggasar's contract was due to be expired "very soon," he said.Deonarine dismissed Warner's claim that Local Government Minister Suruj Rambachan is expected to hold a meeting this morning with workers from the two terminated contractors. Warner also claimed that the new contractors had no equipment.But Deonarine said Cepep had already advised the workers of their new contractors and would take up work tomorrow.He couldn't recall the names of the two new contractors.